--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the case of Tunisia, it was indeed…" description: "\"“In the case of Tunisia, it was indeed this single act that sparked what had been long-standing active protest movements and moved them forward. But th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/noam-chomsky-42_activism_in-the-case-of-tunisia-it-was-indeed-thi_661556.jpg" --- # In the case of Tunisia, it was indeed this single act that… ![“In the case of Tunisia, it was indeed this single act that sparked what had been long-standing active protest movements and moved them forward. But that's not so unusual. Let's look at our own history. Take the civil rights movement. There had been plenty of concern and activism about violent…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/noam-chomsky-42_activism_in-the-case-of-tunisia-it-was-indeed-thi_661556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/noam-chomsky-42_activism_in-the-case-of-tunisia-it-was-indeed-thi_661556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/noam-chomsky-42_activism_in-the-case-of-tunisia-it-was-indeed-thi_661556.jpg) > ““In the case of Tunisia, it was indeed this single act that sparked what had been long-standing active protest movements and moved them forward. But that's not so unusual. Let's look at our own history. Take the civil rights movement. There had been plenty of concern and activism about violent repression of blacks in the South, and it took a couple of students sitting in at a lunch counter to really set it off. Small acts can make a big difference when there is a background of concern, understanding, and preliminary activism.”” [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single, symbolic act can ignite larger movements when underlying grievances already exist. **In simple terms:** Small acts trigger big change if tensions are already high. Key Takeaway Leverage symbolic actions to catalyze change. Themes activism social movements catalysts political change Mood inspirational urgent Type political motivational When to use this quote - protest organization - community organizing - policy advocacy - media campaigns Key Concepts collective action symbolic gestures grassroots mobilization Questions to Reflect On - What symbolic act could energize your cause? - How can you prepare the ground before a catalyst? A Different Perspective If underlying grievances are weak, the act may not spark change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active-protest-5270808/) [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Civil rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/) [Preliminary Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preliminary-activism-5270807/) [Protest movements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest-movements/) [Rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-movement/) [Small acts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-acts/) [Social movements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-movements/) ## Related quotes > [“We no longer live in a mass-media world with a few centralized choke points with just a few editors in charge, operated by commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeynep-tufekci/we-no-longer-live-in-a-mass-media-world-with-a-few-centralized-choke/) [Zeynep Tufekci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeynep-tufekci/) > [“Never mind. Bye, Carmen. Don't go out and get radical or anything." THE PINATA-MAKER'S DAUGHTER”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-granfors/never-mind-bye-carmen-don-t-go-out-and-get-radical-or-anything-the/) [Eileen Granfors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-granfors/) > [The use of the Internet, the use of Twitter, the way protest movements developed... This is a different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-use-of-the-internet-the-use-of-twitter-the-way-protest-movements/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People are fed up - and I think quite rightfully so. 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Symbolic action on whatever scale - from the Montgomery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/history-shows-that-all-protest-movements-rely-on-symbols-boycotts/) [Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/) > [From the theft of confidential cables to 21st century protest movements, to development breakthroughs that have the potential to change millions of lives, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/from-the-theft-of-confidential-cables-to-21st-century-protest/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Some of the most moving experiences I've had are just in black churches in the South, during the Civil Rights Movement, where people were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/some-of-the-most-moving-experiences-i-ve-had-are-just-in-black/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There has to be spiritual transformation among the masses, who have to be willing to recognize that their oppression is not a law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-has-to-be-spiritual-transformation-among-the-masses-who-have-to/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I am always nice to people who are cold and mean to me because deep down I feel that I do not want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-peris/i-am-always-nice-to-people-who-are-cold-and-mean-to-me-because-deep/) [Judy Peris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-peris/) > [I think it's an aggregation of all of the small acts that are really transformative. I think a group of small acts transform the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/i-think-it-s-an-aggregation-of-all-of-the-small-acts-that-are-really/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [Discipline is built by consistently performing small acts of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/discipline-is-built-by-consistently-performing-small-acts-of-courage/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) ## More by Noam Chomsky > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. 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Just because I say it doesn't make it true. So check it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-first-thing-you-ought-to-do-is-verify-what-i-present-just-because/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's an interesting book about that called The Third Reich and the Ivory Tower, written by Stephen H. Norwood. It has a long discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-s-an-interesting-book-about-that-called-the-third-reich-and-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [This is class war on an international scale, and power is in the hands of those who control the international economic system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/this-is-class-war-on-an-international-scale-and-power-is-in-the-hands/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There are big, extremely irrational parts of the society, and they have now been mobilized politically by the Republican establishment, hoping that these people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-big-extremely-irrational-parts-of-the-society-and-they-have/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [There's plenty to criticize about the mass media, but they are the source of regular information about a wide range of topics. 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